Jane B and I are the co-hosts of this group, so every other week the group will be held at her place. The group will run for fifteen weeks, with an additional celebratory check-in on the sixteenth week, starting April 26th. Check-ins will be open from Friday to Monday.
Here are the very simple ground rules for the writing group (with thanks and apologies to Dame Eleanor Hull for borrowing from her):
- Post every week, even if you were OBE. We are a support group, if nothing else; owning your shortcomings, and seeing others have to do the same, helps. Believe me, I should know! I'm still plugging away at writing groups, despite less than stellar results multiple semesters. If you won't be able to check-in for a week, just let us know; if you miss two check-ins, we'll have to assume you left the group because of the difficulty of two of us trying to keep track of everyone.
- Next week and every week please use the format we've used before. Paragraph 1: last week's goals. Paragraph 2: what you achieved. Paragraph 3: analysis/comment of what worked and what didn't. Paragraph 4: next week's goals. Paragraph 5: comments on the weekly topic or whatever you want to discuss.
- Feel free to comment on each other's posts. We're all in this together, after all! (said in my best cheerleader voice)
To shake things up a bit, we thought that we could use this group to set people up with writing partners, if there is any interest. I can set up a Google Group, which will let people retain their anonymity (I think) but still post their work, so that their writing partner can read and provide feedback every week. Obviously this provides a higher level of accountability for those who need it, but it also requires a larger time commitment than normal for the writing group, which is why it's not mandatory. If you're interested, include it in this week's comments and I'll set up a Group if there is enough interest.
For this week, please post your fifteen-week goal and next week's goal. If you want to introduce or reintroduce yourself, that'd be lovely. I also thought it might help to start the writing group by thinking about making changes in our workflows or sharing ideas to increase efficiency and productivity. Some of you have already seen my earlier post about getting organized for the new semester. It was inspired, in part, by this post on Gradhacker on getting out of "triage" mode, which is exactly what I felt I was in by the end of last semester. Now I'm refreshed, reorganized, and ready to write! What about you? Any changes or reorganizing that you've done to get you ready for the new semester or new group or new goals?
Thank the gods and little fishes that we're starting again: I've been jonesing for a writing group!
ReplyDeleteI am an at-least-mid-career (maybe really somewhat past that) tenured associate professor of English at a Large Regional University (LRU), trying to publish enough to get to Full before I retire, and hampered by the Octopus Touch, which makes every project spin off tentacles. I'm a medievalist and often work with multiple languages, hence my blogname.
The big project for this spring should be a book chapter, but I am still, dammit, still working on the Macedonian Marginalia Project, MMP for short, which I wanted to finish a year ago. And so I am going to declare that finishing and submitting the MMP is my main goal, and if I finish it before the end of the group I hope I can declare a new goal.
For next week: at least one hour a day on the MMP, in a mix of reading, writing, and transcribing early modern wills.
I love 'the Octopus Touch' phrase - I definitely have a case of that!
Delete"The Octopus Touch" is a *brilliant* phrase. That's *exactly* what my crazy Bad Poetry project is like!
Delete"The Octopus Touch" is pure genius. Captures the phenomenon so well.
DeleteI agree with everyone that the "Octopus Touch" is genius! It's part of the reason I'm not done the dissertation yet - I have academic ADD. I want to move on to all my other projects, but I'm still not done the main one.
DeleteYes, I too think that I have to reach out, grasp, and bring close everything on the periphery.
DeleteI said in an earlier post somewhere that I thought I'd join up this semester, but I think I'm not quite at the writing stage yet, so you can cross me off any tentative lists.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'll come around to cheer others around from time to time!
Sorry you'll miss this one, but please do stop by and cheer us on occasionally!
DeleteI'm happy to back on another iteration of this wonderful group.
ReplyDeleteI am a mid-career Associate Professor of Public Health Education at a state university. Although I've always worked in public health my training is in developmental psychology and my work falls somewhere in between with a twist of women and gender studies.
Last group I worked on 3 separate papers. One has been submitted and the other two will be by the end of next week. My plan is to work on 3 new papers this semester: BE paper, Methods paper, and HT paper. My aim is to get a decent draft completed on all three so I can submit over the summer.
For next week my goals are to submit those two completed papers and rewrite the findings section on the Be paper.
Welcome to the new group! Three papers a group is impressive. I'm trying not to be very jealous of your willpower!
DeleteAmstr, here. Thanks for hosting, Trapped and JaneB!
ReplyDeleteI'm nearing the end of a long graduate career (MA, five years of teaching, 9 1/2 years of PhD so far) in English Literature of the Renaissance variety. My uni is on the East Coast, and I'm on the West. We moved post-exams for my spouse's job, so I've been working on the dissertation long distance for five years. In the non-academic part of my life, I'm a mom and homemaker with two little ones in elementary school.
Big Goal: finally finish the darn dissertation! I'm in the middle of drafting my final chapter, and the penultimate one is out for approval. In the best of all possible worlds, I'll be defending in late February. In the worst case (that I can stand thinking about), I'll be defending in April (though I have an extension until August).
Next week's goal: 1) read what I've written of Ch. 4 so far, 2) make and prioritize a reading list for the chapter (incl. what I've already read and what's left), 3) annotate/notes for research read, 4) draft 3000 words.
I'm looking forward to the group!
I too am looking to finish my dissertation this semester. Good luck to you and I look forward to hearing from you.
DeleteWelcome to the new group, Amstr! I want to defend this summer, but a lot of words stand in my way, so I'm going to use you and metheist as motivation/inspiration when I'm feeling overwhelmed and undermotivated.
DeleteMictlantecuhtli: I am tenured faculty alleged to have stalled after tenure but really it was before, you just couldn't tell yet. I have four book projects, really, but I am trying to do one which means preparing chapters as articles. My issue is getting distracted by high and diverse workload and family related problems. My need is to reserve time daily, 25 minutes if that is all there is but ideally 2.5 hours. That is it, 25 minutes to 2.5 hours, 7 days a week, no vacation ever (on vacation, 25 minutes), and ideally closer to 2.5 hours most days. So I use the writing group to force myself to give myself the time, and it works very well.
ReplyDeleteI have been in bad doldrums this break: was to rest, relax and write, but really got flu and had major, major parent geriatric crisis, still going on, and got depressed because they can get kind of abusive and dealing with that alienates me from myself so I do not function well.
School starts January 16 and I need syllabi and more as well as research.
Goal for this week: 25 minutes every day on research, and at least 2 hours on those syllabi.
THANK YOU for hosting this as we apparently all really need it.
I hope that you find solace in the writing group as I did last semester.
DeleteDitto what metheist said and welcome to the group!
DeleteI hope the parental stress issues lessen: I'm really aware of how much life has an impact on our ability o write and think.
DeleteI am a subject librarian at a second-tier state university and also have a PhD in history from earlier in my career. I've been using these groups as support for continuing my own historical research, which I am determined to keep doing.
ReplyDeleteThis semester I would like to start drafting a book proposal (!) and to start work on a second article/possible book chapter on my topic, which is closely tied to the small-scale database project I'm working on with another colleague. I'm also hoping to write an article with two colleagues about an archival/library joint project we just completed, if they're amenable.
Due to alarming budget stuff, I'm on the job market and hoping to shift fields slightly, so have been working on developing good crossover skills. It would be lovely to have to interrupt my research for some interviewing!
I may not make much progress on an actual book proposal this semester, but I find that having a larger project in mind can help with scope creep; if the article starts to get too big, I can tell myself, "*that* part belongs in the book," and save the file in the "Book" folder...
I go back to work on Monday. Goal for next week: finish and take notes on Important Book; at least an hour of free writing on article/second chapter (hereafter known as ASC).
having a definite place for spin-off ideas and 'tentacles' to go is a great idea! It means that you don't have to feel like you're giving up on them...
DeleteExactly! I need to remind myself to do the same thing while finishing the diss. We need to remember that there will be time for tentacles later! Welcome to the group, sophylou!
DeleteI'm at the MLA, flying home Sunday. I probably won't be able to write a proper introduction, so I'll just throw out something fast.
ReplyDeleteI'm an associate prof at a large regional university.
Making time for writing has been a challenge. Finding balance in general is hard.
Just getting some writing in once a *week* during the semester has been a huge step forward for me.
My goal for the this semester/this group is to write and submit an article.
My goal for next week is
1. figure out which project I'm most likely to be able to complete
2. write 30 minutes each on two days.
I start teaching in a week, so the temptation is to spend all my time recovering from traveling and getting my courses ready.
I feel like I spent the whole fall semester in triage mode.
Welcome to the group, loulin88! Let's hope that neither of us will spend this semester in triage mode. It's a terrible way to be!
DeleteHumanities adjunct at Directional State U, going full on the job market in Fall. This is an important window to push my dissertation forward. After 7+ new preps over 5 semesters, I can finally coast through my teaching load this spring--and I am massively disgruntled--so finding research time will not be an issue.
ReplyDeleteCurrently at--honestly?--the one-third point of the diss. For the semester I need Chap. 4 & Chap. 1 drafts. Ideally, the Chap. 4 draft will come together in the next few weeks (sent to advisor by end of Feb.).
Wkly goal: 6x250words; 750 words-toward-draft; read / note-take major source for analytic methodology.
This is my third attempt to join a writing group. I have some procrastination and focus issues to work through, but I'm back because I know that this is a supportive community and I'm grateful for that.
Welcome back to the fold, Jason! If I'm being honest, I'm 1/3 done with my dissertation, too - hence the need for the writing group and big numbers each week - but we'll get through this!
DeleteTrapped and Jane B, thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteI am TT faculty in a LAM program (libraries, archives, and museums) at a large private university. My PhD is in history. My department is small in faculty and mid-size in students, which translates into a heavy work load. I teach both undergrads and grads, supervise master's theses, advise students, etc., etc. Sticking to a writing schedule, especially in the spring, is a challenge, but one I must conquer this semester perhaps more than any other. My book manuscript is under contract and due at the end of the summer.
Big goal: Finish revisions of two chapters. [Lesson learned from the fall group, trying to revise four chapters in a single semester is just too ambitious.]
Next week's goal: I need to finish prepping for classes that start the following week. In addition to that I plan to complete 2 hours of writing/revision on the book manuscript (a total of 10 hours).
I'm looking forward to spending the next few weeks with all of you. "Thank the gods and little fishes" indeed!! I need the accountability.
Welcome to the group, nwgirl, and good luck with class prep!
DeleteI'm so excited that this group is starting! Thanks so much for hosting it.
ReplyDeleteMy projects last semester were a lyric essay (a form I'm exploring for the first time) and a poem sequence. I wrote 6,000 words on the first and completed a draft of the second. Some weeks, I wrote for as little as an hour total, but I made progress almost every week. I liked being able to adjust my weekly goals depending on the intensity of my teaching workload. And I was deeply grateful for the accountability and support of the group.
Big goals: This semester, my goals are to continue to devote time each week to poems (drafting new ones while continuing to revise the sequence); to find a publisher for my second book ms.; and to experiment with breaking out some pieces of the lyric essay draft, possibly as shorter pieces on their own.
Next week's goals: a) Four sessions of 12 minutes each on poems; b) Develop submission calendar for Jan-March.
(This is the week before exams, fairly busy in terms of prep and grading.)
I'm interested that you choose 12 minutes as a working increment - does this work well for you? How did you pick it?
DeleteI started with 30, then dropped it to 20, and eventually realized that I'd always composed poems in many short bursts instead of in long unbroken sessions. To be strictly accurate, I usually feel ready to stop after 8-10 minutes, but on the theory that something often arrives after you've given up, I keep my butt in the chair until 12. Following a good 12-minute session, I might return to the same poem for a few minutes at a time throughout the day, if I can.
DeleteSo it's partly natural preference, but also partly necessity, as I have a busy teaching schedule and if I waited for increments of 2-3 hours, I would wait a long time.
Welcome to the group, Meansomething! I think it's a great idea to squeeze in the writing when you can, rather than waiting around for long chunks of free time. I need to give that a shot because I waited all semester for chunks of time and that didn't get me anywhere!
DeleteYay for another writing group! And a perfectly timed one, too. I have a 6000-word article due on the 1st of April, of which I have done a fair bit of research (much of it spinning out of my PhD thesis (aka dissertation), and about 2500 words written. (I may also have smaller projects along the way, as I am undertaking more study!)
ReplyDeleteYou may already know me as kiwimedievalist. I kind of fell off the boat in Dame Eleanor's last writing group, as I was having a lot of re-thinking of how my life outside of academia might look. I finished my PhD in 2010, and have been on the job market since then. I have, however, realised that what I thought an academic career was is actually very different, so I'm looking at other options.
While I am now pursuing a career in libraries or museums (little steps), I have decided that I am also going to continue to be a medievalist, as that is where my interests lie. This was aided by the discovery that the Nuns' Literacies conference in Antwerp this year is still expecting me to submit a paper, which will then be published.
I am also working on an idea for a novel, which may rear its head in discussions of writing over the course of the week. My aim is to write for an hour a day on the article, and an hour on the novel - but the article hour comes first.
Thanks for hosting!
That's a lot going on kiwimedievalist/zcat_abroad, but welcome and good luck!
DeleteI'd like to join, too, please!
ReplyDeleteI'm mid-career at a regional public U, semi-stalled, and working on a paper for the Shakespeare association, and also working on moving a paper from conference to publishable.
Thanks, B
I'm extremely stoked that you will be participating.
DeleteYour blog is one of my favorites, so I'm excited you're joining us!
DeleteSo grateful to be back with writing group, and thank you to our co-hosts. I’m an assistant professor in Communication coming up for tenure in the Fall. I teach at a mid-sized, second-tier state university.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to much lighter teaching and service load this Spring, and am excited about my research. I have a conference paper to finish for March and a book chapter proposal to submit no later than April. I plan mostly to work on the reconfigured book project, which now includes some incremental steps like drafting a survey, getting IRB approval, and applying for a travel grant. I’ve sketched out deadlines for the first two months of the year, and will see where I am come March with regard to these three projects. Goal for next week is to complete a first draft of the survey.
Welcome back, humming42, and congrats on the lighter load this semester!
DeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteThanks Trapped and Jane B for hosting. I am an early career scientist, beginning a new job in February. Meantime, I feel rather stalled in my career as my submission rate has dropped and I am feeling rather anxious about that. Loving my research when I can get over my negativity about science as a career.
I want to finish my goals from the last writing group- tantalisingly close, but unfinished. Finishing is something I am really struggling with at the moment, both because of my own perfectionism, and external delays. So,I want to be able to tick off a couple of projects in this writing group. As in, not being 50% or 75% of the way through, but finishing and submitting. So I have a rather weird list of goals.
1)I have a conference talk to give in two weeks and have a big pile of analysis to do for this over the next week- hence, my first goal, is - do this. All week.
2)Paper X from the previous writing group needs reanalysis of one section (arggh), and general rewriting. Its a collaborative effort, and I am anticipating writing will drag on for some time although I would like to submit, like, immediately.
3)Paper Z, I want to finish the analysis of one dataset, and the writing of these results (probably two paragraphs max.). I am half way through this, and would like to just get it done.
4) There are other projects too that I want to get done, but I will focus on the above first, and then concentrate on two hours of writing a day. I think if I can achieve this, the other pieces of research will also fall into place.
Kiwi2
Yay, another scientist! External delays are particularly demotivating, aren't they? SOunds like a good idea to focus on a few tasks as priorities - getting things OUT consistently is so important in building that nice tidy looking publication list.
DeleteWelcome back to the group, kiwi2. External delays can be so painful, especially when you are just anxious to get it off your desk. Good luck!
DeleteSo good to have a group going again. Thanks so much to you both!
ReplyDeleteI am GEW (GoodEnoughWoman), and I am a tenured English instructor at a community college in California. I am also a part-time PhD student at a university in the U.K. (I visit about once a year to meet with my supervisors and review my progress). My thesis focuses on a writer from the eighteenth-century, and I still have a couple of years ahead of me before I'm ready to submit. I also have a husband and two children, who all wish I didn't work so much.
My PhD thesis/dissertation will probably have five chapters, three of which currently exist in draft form, and a fourth of which I was supposed to draft during our fall writing group. I made a lot of progress on it, but I still need to do a bit more. So here are my goals for the next 15 weeks:
Finish draft of Chapter 5
Draft Chapter 3
Revise article
I don't know that I can do all of this, but I'll reevaluate as we go. Nevertheless, these are things I really do need to finish.
At the end of last semester, I started getting up early two days a week to work. This was very productive. I will continue to do this. Also, I will insert a couple of additional 30 minute sessions into the week. Lastly, I hope to do at least two writing retreats (aka, nights at hotels) during the spring.
Currently, we're still on vacation in the mountains, away from home. I haven't done much work because we've been traveling for two weeks and because all four of us caught a stomach virus. Bleck. Still I hope to get a few things done this week.
This week's goals: Work for six hours, reviewing the primary text and writing up the theory application section for Chapter 5.
Ew. Being sick on vacation is a slap in the face! Good luck this week and welcome back!
DeleteHope you have a relaxing and productive rest of your vacation! And hope you are all feeling better. No fun!
DeleteJust a quick note to register my participation this term! I have a new baby in tow and some crazy deadlines coming up, but I will post my "reaching" goals for the three-plus months ahead:
ReplyDelete-BGP (Big Grant Proposal)
-four articles drafted, triaged, or under review: EOCP, MUL, CMC, and CI. This is definitely a reach goal but we'll see what happens.
-Two data collections.
I still have to work out a schedule for actually DOING this but I think it will involve lots of babysitters, at at-home workspace, and noise-canceling earphones.
Thanks in advance for the support and work in keeping up the writing group!!
I think I'm having trouble posting this comment-- it says my "OpenID" can't be registered, but I'm not using OpenID?!.. let's hope this works though!
seems to have worked fine! Noise-cancelling headphones sound rather appealing writing aids... if only there were MEETING-cancelling headphones out there...
DeleteOh please oh please . . . SOMEONE invent those! Priceless!
DeleteInstant millionaire. Welcome back, emmawriting, and don't forget to keep us updated about the baby! :)
DeleteMe too, me too. Oh, how I wish someone would invent those.
DeleteThank you so much of hosting a new writing group. I am very optimistic about this semester as I make my final push to finish my dissertation.
ReplyDeleteI am currently teaching a 4/4 at a larger state university (located in a rural area, which is kinda nice). Last semester was physically unproductive as I settled into a new position, but I think that I have a better grasp on teaching, writing, and my life at the moment.
My 15wk goal is to finish chapter 4, write my introduction, edit, and defend. Also, I want to work more on embracing the present, not obsessing on the past or worrying about the future. I have created a more rigid schedule in that I am on campus MWF and then have T/R, which I have dedicated solely to writing. Class prep must get done MWF.
Next week's goal: At least five hours of good work T/R--I have several ILL books due the 11th so I need to get through those. Reread chapter four and use these books to start to fill in the gaps.
Your post sounds like my life right now! I'm feeling much better about this semester, too, and I'm going to do everything I can to hold on to that feeling all semester.
DeleteA fellow disserter! It sounds like we're near the same point. Good luck this term! I'll look forward to hearing updates. (Amstr)
DeleteI will echo the "thank the gods and little fishes" comment. Thank you to Jane B and Trapped for hosting.
ReplyDeleteDespite my WordPress moniker, I have been known in earlier groups as Elizabeth Anne Mitchell. I am a post-mid-career associate librarian at a large research state university in the Northeast, a department chair, a perfectionist; I suffer from impostor syndrome, mid-life crisis, and a general malaise that my dreams of writing are unattainable.
Right now my research concentrates on 15th and 16th Western Europe; I am ABD in comparative literature with a medieval certificate. I'm trying to decide whether to jump through the fiery hoops of finishing the Ph.D. or just trying to publish the edition and call it good.
However, the immediate 15-week goal is to finish up article O, which I researched and got close to completion in the last group, for submission. I then have article O prime, the offshoot from article O to flesh out, complete and submit.
Next week's goal is to touch the article every day, coming up with a plan for each week until completion.
I planned to do this plan during break, but we did not have a break. The library is considered an essential service, and we were open M-F, except for Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I thought my staff would disappear, but they did not, so it was like any other time. Enough whining!
I'm so glad this group is continuing--it is far too easy for me to slip into the Slough of Despond without its accountability.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
I was going to write that touching every day is a good thing, but that sounded dirtier than I meant, so I'll just say welcome back instead!
DeleteLOL, Jodi--it does sound rather seamy, doesn't it?
DeleteI am a postdoctoral fellow in the social sciences in an R1 in the Midwest. My goals for the semester are to write one chapter for an edited volume and write two essays for an online forum. I would also like to begin my book proposal. I look forward to interacting with the group.
ReplyDeleteAnother Postdoc
Welcome to the group and good luck!
DeleteAbout time I posted my own goals/intro/etc!
ReplyDeleteI'm JaneB, co-hosting this writing group. I'm faculty in a STEM discipline at a UK 'squeezed middle' university, and currently pretty disgruntled with the whole shebang. One of my goals for this semester is to move my research writing - broadly conceived as including those bits of the data gathering/analysis stages which I do myself (I do try and keep my hand in 'at the bench') - back into its rightful place as one of the most enjoyable parts of the job rather than just being another chore (must hit all the buttons to get that elusive 4* rating, must use right framing to get into top-rated journal, must must must). This requires finding the internal motivations and using them to drown out the external (as soon as someone tells me I 'must' do something my inner teenager begins to pout and drag her feet... I need to get her enthused again!).
My overall goal for the 15 weeks is the vague one of 'make measureable progress' - I want to be able to report actual numbers in terms of papers moved from one key developmental stage to the next (word counts aren't so good for me as I tend to write masses then prune and modify rather than slowly accumulate just the right words). A lot of my work is collaborative, so I'm not totally in control of project progress, and need to get away from the 'X hasn't replied with their bit on paper A so I can't do anything this week' mentality - changing those thoughts to '...so I can work on paper B instead' is only a small shift, but lowers the annoyance factor substantially!
Goals for the next week:
a) identify the key developmental stages I want to use for this iteration of the group
b) go through my (stupidly long, octo-octopedically tentacular) list of potential papers at various stages and group them under those stages
c) pick one and make a detailed inventory of the next steps
d) finish writing a 20-page administrative report that was due before Christmas (but I got sick) and send it off for internal approval.
e) do at least 2 x 15 minute free writing sessions about research writing, preferably first thing in the morning, just to limber up some writing muscles (this particular piece of administrative report writing is the antithesis of good writing for me, since it HAS to follow the illogic of the 'standard faculty structure' and respond to contradictory or overlapping questions in the correct order. So stretching to counteract the bad writing posture makes sense...).
I'd love to hear the developmental stages you identify! That sounds like a really great way to keep a sense of forward motion going when word counts don't really count.
DeleteYou're probably wondering where I've been and if I've just left you all alone after posting two days ago! Sorry, I actually got to do something social this weekend. I should probably introduce myself and figure out my goals.
ReplyDeleteThis is technically the sixth year of my PhD, although I've been on a leave of absence for the past two semesters, so I like to kid myself that I'm technically still in fifth year. That's partially true because I really haven't touched my dissertation, except for writing two conference papers last semester that are parts of chapters. Still, I want to defend my dissertation this summer. So, no more mucking about with anything and everything else! While on leave, I moved back home (as in, with my parents) to save money while writing. That's...fun. I also adjunct at a very tiny school and teach classes that have absolutely nothing to do with my area of specialty, but that's the joy of being an adjunct. Luckily, it's been nice to get a break from all things British, which is what my life has (mostly) been during the PhD process. I'm also becoming rapidly obsessed with the digital humanities and integrating those concepts into my teaching (as much as I can at the very tiny college) and my research - at least for my next projects. I take work breaks by learning about coding and other fun things.
Goals for this writing group: since I need to defend this summer, I need to write between 1000-1500 words every week during the next 15 weeks. I have partial drafts of every chapter but one; some need a lot of work, some need a TON of work, and one needs to be written, obviously. I'm not going to commit to a schedule of which chapters to work on when. I'm just going to go with the flow and the receipt of ILL books to determine what I work on first, second, third, etc.
Next week's goal: ok, I know I just said I need to write 1000-1500 words every work, but that's not going to happen this week because I'm at DHWI. I meant it when I said I'm becoming obsessed! So, this week I'm hoping to find time to write 300 words and finish my syllabus revisions and survive five days of 8+ hours of classes.
I'm a hopefully-about-to-be-tenured English prof at a SLAC with a 4/4 teaching load. I also had a baby in June, and am returning to work this semester after maternity leave. And I'm tired of my research always taking a backseat to everything else, so my resolution for this semester is to recommit to my scholarship. I'd like to be producing articles at a more regular rate and even working on a second book in the next few years, and I need some external structure to do so.
ReplyDeleteThis semester, I need to write a conference paper and I want to radically revise (essentially rewrite) an article. Because the conference paper has to get done, it will--so I'm going to focus on the article for this writing group. My goal for the semester is to get a workable draft of the article finished by the end of April.
What I'd like to do is write 5 hours a week, plus fit in some reading time as needed. That's a lot for me, these days.
For next week, I'd like to give it a test run (classes don't start until the 14th). My goal is to work on the article for 5 hours, during which time I'll organize those scraps and pieces of the original article which I can keep and figure out where a few of the biggest holes are. I'll also use that time to start re-reading a relevant primary text.
Thanks for organizing this!
I like that you recognize the conference paper has to get done, so it doesn't need to be a goal for this group! I tend to include those, just to feel like I've accomplished something, in case everything else goes terribly wrong. Good luck with the 5 hours of writing and welcome to the group!
DeleteI'm a PhD student in the process of transferring to a new university, where I hope that my thesis will finally be able to go in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteMy goal for this semester is, simply enough, to complete that process and keep working even as a PhD candidate in free fall. I am not at a writing/rewriting stage right now so I mean to read and take daily notes of my reflections and the progress I'm making. I want to work at least 3 hours a day, 6 days a week on my thesis.
For next week:
- Write a page or more every morning.
- Read one chapter or article a day.
- Avoid obsessing over teaching, it is only an auxilliary activity (I am a researcher, not a teacher).
Looking forward to the next four months!
Welcome the group! I hope to hold on to the "researcher, not a teacher" mentality myself, if only for this semester to get the dissertation done!
DeleteAnd yet teaching is such a concrete and immediate task, it makes it easy to forget research and still feel active!
DeleteI forgot two other goals for the spring term:
- read the "spatial writers" I've selected
- walk to class (and most other places) and meditate daily
Hello, everyone. I'm Matilda. Nice to be with you all in this writing group. Sorry for late check-in. Could I?
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for hosting the writing group this term, JaneB and Trapped!
I am doing medieval history and teach (non medieval)history at a very tiny college, but moving to a new job at a rather large private university this April. A mother of two young children.
Big goal: 1. Finish an article A. 2. Finish an article B. 3. 15-minute writing every day
1. I have to finish writing an article hopefully by 15 Jan. It may need longer time, though. It is based on my Leeds paper this year. 2. I hope to write a publishable article based on an old short report. This is my main goal of this term. I've worked on it last year, and failed. My copy of Belcher's book at hand, I'll try it again. 3. I hope to take 15 minutes writing every day. This means I am touching my research even how busy I am for other tasks.
Goal for next week: finish writing the article now I'm working on. It needs some 1000 words and fuller notes. Quite a lot.
Is anybody interested in having a writing partner as Trapped kindly suggested? I had been wondering it would be great if I have one, but I am not sure I myself could work as a writing partner properly, since as you see easily my English is not good. Anyway, I think it is always useful to have one's writings read seriously by somebody else.
Again, thank you for hosting this group, JaneB and Trapped, and I'll do my best for the next four months!
Matilda
Welcome to the group, Matilda, and good luck with finishing your article this week! It doesn't seem like anyone else is very interested in having a writing partner, although someone may jump in and prove me wrong. I wouldn't mind, but I'm a little worried about having the time to commit, so I think I need to be a bad host and rescind my offer to act as one. I'm so sorry!
DeleteI am sorry I'm late -- I was at the AHA, and I'm slowly catching up with life.
ReplyDeleteI am a senior historian at a small university with insane amounts of service. I working on a project that was left by a senior scholar who died, so the work process is somewhat odd, and I've struggled to get going on it. I seem to be able to do the parts more easily than that whole.
Because of the service load I've carried, and various personal things, I'm really trying to create a new structure for my life that values my scholarly self as well as my teaching and administering self. In return for my admin work, I am not teaching this semester aside from a grad independent study. So my goal is to work 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week, on work that is part of my scholarly identity. Of those, I want at least 8 hours to be on my big research project -- leaving time for other things, like book reviews, reading mss, etc. By the end of the 15 weeks I will have finished two things: first, a plenary talk at a major conference outside my discipline in late March, and second, a draft of a piece for one of the "companion" volumes that speaks to some of the conceptual issues of the book project. I go back and forth on whether and how the two of these are connected.
The key for me is guarding the research time...
I hope you had some delicious beignets while in New Orleans! Welcome to the group and good luck with your (re)commitment to your scholarly self!
ReplyDeleteHi all! Happy to see so many familiar faces here, and looking forward to making new friends. I'm an associate prof in history at a small R1 university, plugging along on a book manuscript. Got a lot done last semester, thanks in large part to some fortunate scheduling and DEH's writing group. This semester I have more teaching and service obligations, but am hoping to keep up the steady writing, with lower weekly goals.
ReplyDeleteMy overall goal is to write 21,000 words by April 26. (I have a giant pile of rough research notes that just needs to be spun into prose, so last semester I found it really helpful to stay focused on generating words. This summer will be for editing & revision.)
That means 1,500 a week, with some adjustments for conference travel and advising weeks (basically, planning ahead for when I know I'll be OBE). I'm starting off a little bit behind as far as class prep, but I'll still try to hit my first 1,500 for next week.
Here we go! Happy new year, everybody!
You know what? I'm going to adjust this already, given two unexpected obligations that have popped up for this week. One thing I learned last semester is that it was much more satisfying to set small goals and reach them, than to set high ones and not get there. So this first week, I'm going to aim for 500 words.
DeleteWelcome Pilgrim/Heretic! Good luck with the word count!
DeleteHi everyone, and sorry for the late sign up, I'm a postdoc in the UK, trying to get the doctoral project published and the new, postdoctoral one started. My primary goal for the 15 weeks is to get the book manuscript finished and submitted to press (finish final 2 chapters and conclusion; edit all for consistency; incorporate comments as they come in). I'd also like to finish converting a conference paper based on a new topic into an article. The amount of time I will be able to devote to this second goal will depend on other commitments, so I'm not sure how realistic it will be.
ReplyDeleteThis week will not be good one for writing, but the aim will be to 1. write seminar on new postdoc topic; 2. re-read chapter 5 and come up with a plan for revisions.
I'm a postdoc in the biomedical sciences at a university. More importantly, I'm a bit late with the sign up. Can I still sign up?
ReplyDeleteIf I can, then...
My main goal for the 15 weeks is to completely finish two fellowship apps, get halfway through a third, turn my dissertation intro into a minireview, write my final section of TheReviewThatNeverEnds, and any other small writing projects that come my way. That looks like a lot all written out.
This week I'm aiming to finish the meat and potatoes part of my first fellowship app and read the paper that I'm refereeing.
Sorry for the late check-in/introduction. I was at the MLA last week/this weekend, then spent a day in the archives before heading home.
ReplyDeleteI'm a full-time non-tenure track recently-promoted-to-associate (on the basis of teaching alone) professor at a state R2. My Ph.D. is in literature, but I currently teach a 4/4 load of primarily composition (and all writing-intensive) classes -- most often a junior-level writing in the disciplines course. While I'm in a relatively fortunate position for a contingent faculty member, I'm keenly aware that my present job is not likely to last as long as I need to work (and, even if it does, doesn't pay enough for me to want to keep it for the rest of my working life), and that I'd be better off hunting for a new job (preferably one that involves an actual career, if not tenure, track) in my early fifties (which are fast approaching) than at 55-60+. So I'm trying to publish more actively, while also doing some freelance work to supplement an inadequate salary. I do a lot of juggling of priorities, and trying to figure out what my priorities are, and don't always feel particularly successful at either activity.
My main goals for this semester are to complete a chapter for an "approaches to teaching" volume (we'll call this the T chapter), due 5/1, and to keep up with freelance assignments. If I have any additional time, I'd also like to finish the J article that I was trying to finish last fall, and make some sort of progress on the P project, but, based on past experience, that seems unlikely.
I'm still trying to get my bearings after a month that went straight from getting grades in to a freelance deadline to Christmas to another freelance deadline to the MLA, so I don't really have a plan for the semester yet. So, I think I'll make that the goal for (what's left of) this week:
Come up with at least the beginnings of a plan for the semester.
Also, get some responses to conference CFPs for spring/summer/fall 2013 out.
I hope it's not too late to join. My computer and I were warring this weekend so I wasn't able to keep it going long enough to check in. (Goal: research laptops and buy a new one. Maybe have a party to smash the crap out of this one. That would be nice.)
ReplyDeleteI'm a perpetual adjunct. I have three classes this semester, and one is a late start, so the first 8 weeks will be easier, the last 8 weeks will be insane. Two of my classes require two hour commutes (one there, one back). I teach communication and speech courses and have no intention of becoming full time faculty again. (Long freaking story). I'd rather not adjunct but I need to pay bills as I transition into full time writing. I am teaching gender and communication this semester and looking forward to that, something I haven't taught in a few years.
I'm a fiction writer and cultural/critical essay writer. I've been working on my "brand" and a website that showcases shorter pieces, as well as writing one novel (fantasy) and a couple short stories--the short stories help me when I get writers block on the novel.
Goal for the 15/16 weeks: Write every week: At least one post on the website, and ultimately 3-4 chapters in the novel. (I don't know what's realistic for the novel with my commuting schedule so I might be selling myself short.)
Goal for next week--organize semester schedule so that I can be sure to create time every week to write, even those last 8 weeks. Do as much advance prep as possible. Apply to freelance copy edit job. (I don't have a class until Jan 18.)
Welcome to the group, those of you who just joined! I'm going to close comments now (that I've out how to do so), so you've just squeaked in, but that's ok!
ReplyDelete